stuff

I tried to do an entry yesterday, but for some reason my camera wouldn't download or is upload (?) my pictures.  So I gave up.  Today it worked so here I am.

I now have a new route for the summer, we are able to bid on new routes that may come up ... my new one starts next Monday, goes into August (after our raise 7/1) and goes 4 days longer than the other one I gave up.  Plus I don't have to drive in Toll way/construction/crazy people going to work at 7 am traffic in a full-size bus.  I would have done it, but this new route is much easier.  Plus I still get Friday's off.

This past weekend was great...

Tracey did cut Dayton's hair.  He looks like a different kid!  These pictures are from  Prairiefest.  The kids road rides and had pizza.  The day was very hot, ( see how red Dayton's cheeks are) so we went in the evening. 

The boys look very serious in the picture below (they are the ones with the dark blue shirt and blue camo), that's grandpa's hand giving high fives.

They missed their naps and the heat draining, they did perk up on the merry go round.  They weren't even crabby either...All Dakota talked about was seeing the Monkey's who were next to the Moo moo's.

Here's the after pics...

                      

                     

More tomorrow...

let the summer begin

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Son, Eric

Ah summer, a chance to let your feet breath, dig in the dirt and sweat.  I did all those today and more.  With an early summer my gardens have grown in with abundance.  It is past time to split the daylilies and my hostas needed to split as well.  I love gardening, to me it's like a good therapist, except I get to do all the talking.  My monitor Julie tells me that people garden because they feel they have no control in their lives, maybe true.  As my husband has become very bossy lately...especially concerning my gardens.  Bad move.  I can become very deaf at will.

I did let him plant the beans, finally...he is a better tiller than I.  My tomatoes are coming up nicely.  Another driver at work gave me 6 plants and we grew some in the greenhouse.  We have a nice variety of early and late bloomers.

 

My oldest Tim

My children took me to a really cool restaurant last night.  It is Italian and family style, you even get to go through the kitchen to get to your table.  Old time photographs hung on the walls.  Being from a large, loud family I loved the atmosphere.  I had scallops, love, love them.  My kids are pasta fans so they were happy too.  My boys are really growing up, and changing.  Tim has the new girlfriend and is going to move out of the house he was sharing with his friends from high school and college.  He is moving in with his dad to save money for a home of his own.  Eric at 22 is going to move to the store nearby, he is currently at a Menards in a college town, he also lives with old friends from high school.  He feels like he needs to build a future too.  Wow, I guess I did well by my children.  We are all hard workers, Mark and I have had many struggles in our marriage, raising so many kids, his job being so unpredictable, but we are making it.  Our marriage is strong, our Faith too, and we always stand by our children...always.  No matter what we want to be there for them, but it's so encouraging to watch your kids make decisions that are so grown up, without having to have us push them.  Sometimes the best thing to do is just get out of the way and trust them.

Makes a mother proud! 

 

The grandkids

              

Last evening we watched the kids while Jeremy & Tracey went to a movie.  The kids finally will let me or Mark take their pictures.  Usually they run and hide.  Tracey shaved the boys heads, but little Dayton won't be getting a haircut until his first birthday.  He has black curly hair that hangs over his eyes.  Tracey even clips it back when his daddy isn't around!  His birthday isn't until the end of July, with our heat he may be getting it cut sooner than that!

After Dayton went to bed we spent the evening watching The Crocodile Hunter.  Man can little ones ask a lot of questions.  Dakota wanted to hug the snake and Jacob wanted to make sure a croc couldn't come in his back yard! 

 

                

The kids will be over next weekend for the yearly town feast.  In years past they have only come to the parade and by then the carnival was over.  Another chance for the grandparents to see the world through their little eyes. 

 

schools out/ grad pics/turning 50

                  

My husband never smiles....

School's out!  I was able to get a summer route.  It's only a four hour morning one way trip to a school north of here.  The child only goes Monday through Thursday, so I get a 3 day weekend!  My day is over at 10 am.  My route ends July 20th.  The local day care keeps us in trips which I can bid on, so I will have the best of both worlds, part time work and summer freedom!

Graduation was very nice.  There was a threat of rain so it was held indoors.  Liz's class had split a few years ago and part of it graduated from the new high school.  There were only 350 in her class compared to last years 750.  She received a monetary scholarship for drama and was very happy.  Me too!  She was let go at her job though.  She was hired as a temp to open the store, but only wanted to work during the day so she could be involved in the community plays.  Her supervisor made her come in to work on graduation evening then took her off the schedule.  Oh the joy of retail.  I suggested she broaden her scope for jobs.  Although her brother is interviewing for a department manager's position at the new Menards.  She could go there, but again retail. 

She does have the great big world in front of her.  She is going to junior college next fall, the world really is a clean slate for her.  She'll figure it out I trust her judgement.  She's a lot like me, whatever we really want we go get it.

                

My silly son Tim had to be in this pic.

 

            

                   

My son Tim, Liz and Tim's girlfriend, Kristen.  She is a teacher and a sweetheart. 

My son Eric couldn't come to graduation because of work he felt bad, too.  Because the gym is so small the grads were only allowed 4 tickets for graduation.  The other option was for 3 more family members to sit in another room and watch graduation on TV.  Since Eric didn't come we invited Kristen.  She's wonderful.

Wednesday I officially became AARP material....I turned 50.  Funny I feel the same as I did when I was 40....maybe even as a good as 30.  Nah I was nuts at 30...40...a little better, but 50?  I like 50, it feels like a fit.

Tomorrow I get to see my grand babies, it's been too long.    Jeremy and Tracey are going to see the movie "Knocked up".  Hope that doesn't happen for real to them...3 kids are fine for now!

mia but I know where I am

I am so very far behind!!  It's raining on this long holiday weekend, racing is on (keeping hubby happy) so I have plenty of time to catch up with my j-land pals! 

Whenever I get behind on journals I usually start from today's alert, then go to the link to the person's journal then I go to the last entry I remember (??!!) reading and then read each day to the newest entry.  Does that make sense?  Or if I am in a really pinch for time I read all the entries I am behind & comment on the last one. 

I do weird stuff when I read a newspaper too.  I read the whole front page (unless it's the Chicago Sun times they are like a book) and then go to the continued page, which means I read about five different stories and then continue reading them on another page.  

This has been a very hot and dry week.  Very unseasonable for the Midwest.  Causing my dear hubby to be crabby each evening.  He has been working, but he's been in the water truck which is an old clunky relic that he must fill the tank with water and water the dirt that the heavy machines work.  It's been so dry that the water has been evaporating before he lays it down.   We have had high winds 40 mph or better, which blow the dust and dirt in large brown clouds.

Today's rain will correct that problem.  With it the cool, normal spring days.  Hubby also got a part for his motorcycle today so it is now running.  A must for any person with the price of gas.  Illinois is now the highest above California, at an average of $3.50 per gallon.  Such insanity. 

We had the boys last weekend, we took them to a small zoo/park and had a blast.  While we had them my stepson and dil were able to talk out some of their 'issues' they were having.  Marriage is hard work.  There were times, probably the first five years of my own marriage that I could have killed Mark, especially with  all the kids & our ex's.   But talking is the key.  Even if it's loud and some may consider it yelling, soon things iron out.  If there is a basic respect and love anything can be worked out.

School will be out on June 7th, Liz graduates on the 2nd. 

Routes for the summer are being bid on June 4th.  There seems to be enough work that I will be able to work this summer, which will keep me out of trouble...

I will still have plenty of time to enjoy the kids, but work.  My job is great that way.

Enjoy your weekend...I am off to see what you all are up to!

 

better...

My mother's day was wonderful.  My sons came over and with Liz here I had all my children here.  Besides Liz brought home an apple pie!  How can anyone be sad when there's pie!  My stepson Jim was here most of the day also, but he is not the type to get all mushy with mothers, not even his own.  Matt and Brandy did call/2-way via nextel to wish me a good mother's day.

My d-i-l Tracey also called me and told me she loved me!  Poor child is stuck in the middle of some stuff and there are some other personal type stuff going on with her and my stepson.  So I totally understand the whole problem with a MD picnic.  She ended up going to her own mother's house.  Hopefully whatever is going on will be resolved.  I am finding from my own experience the first five years of marriage are very hard, after that, you get to know the person you are vowed to be with until death, & then you either sink or make it, or chop them up and bury them in the back yard next to the dog....only joking!   Mark and I are making it.  12 years, amazing. 

Today Tracey stopped by with a bag of tea (I love tea) and the sweetest Mother's day card from the kids. 

I am over my pout, which wasn't so difficult this time.

The weather here has been super hot 90's today and dry.  But rain is in the forecast which we badly need.   My hostas aren't as perky as normal.

I thank you all for your well wishes.

Funk over!

reality

This was a busy week.  I had trips four of the five days.  I never realized how different kids could be from school to school.  One group of fourth and fifth graders had to be shuttled to the high school for choir practice...some big yearly event.  I swear to you nearly every single one of the those kids had cell phones!  They were texting and calling their friends like little pros.  Most wear make up, and dress like Brittany Spears, no maybe not that bad but close.  No one on my elementary bus has cell phones, not even the air traffic controller's kid, whose daddy just got a Prosche, has one.  My junior high kids all have them, and IPods too, but 4th grade!!!???  Pleeeeeeeeease!

Then on Wednesday I took a group of 6th graders to the Arboretum, one little snot basically stood in the aisle the whole way home.  Teacher was clue less and said, "oh they aren't being that bad"  Right.  Bad for this kid I learned her name right away.  Most of they way home I called her name over the PA and told her to sit down.  I am no dictator when it comes to bus discipline, especially to the very social Junior high kids, but this kid was all over.  THEN one of the little darlings wrote all over my seats!  God I hate that! 

Oh well all part of the job.  I got overtime pay and the only real problem was Wednesday afternoon when traffic was horrible, it was hot (85) and some truck decided to have an accident on my route back to take the 4-5 graders back to their school.

Mother's day is once again here.  Makes me miss my own mom.  My children will be here of course.  The boys will go see their step mom and their dad.  Thank God I had the good sense to teach them to respect her too.  My step sons?  Well it's a long sad, boring story, but there will be no picnic no get together.  I was sad at first, mad, hurt, but what good would it do.  Tracey is sad too, she and I are very close.  There are a lot of issues that a long session in  therapy might fix, but when someone doesn't think they are doing anything wrong... they think they are blameless.  They go along with their life as selfish as ever.  My husband's ex is that way, and her children protect her.  I really am not that hard to get along with...I behave like a good girl scout, all pleasant and friendly.  I love them and the grandkids, but that doesn't seem to matter.  Being healthy and communicating is not something that they are good at.  So it goes.  I strive for progress ... maybe next year.

To all of you, I wish a very Happy Mother's Day!!

 

Last week when I was at Tracey's, Dakota followed me outside when I was ready to leave and said, "me go with you grandma!"  So hard to say no to that little sweetheart (they had plans)...he and his brothers makes everything right!